


My Way

by KryptekDreamer



Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Best Friends, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fanfiction, Friends to Lovers, Other, Sinatra, Venom x Reader - Freeform, Yandere, crime boss, mafia, sfw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-03
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-08-17 04:31:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16509434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KryptekDreamer/pseuds/KryptekDreamer
Summary: When their boss gives both the Reader and Eddie Brock an assignment to dig up the dirt on the city's corrupt cops and the crime boss paying them, with Eddie's job on the line, the Reader is willing to do anything to save Eddie's job. Even if that means accidentally making the crime boss fall in love with her.But when the crime boss doesn't want to stop courting the reader, it's up to Eddie and Venom to save the woman they love.[] Ongoing[]





	1. Chapter 1

"If they don't arrive in the next five minutes and 21 seconds then we are busting out the window and looking for them."  
Eddie glanced up from his work and looked over to the right where the voice was coming from. He was horrified to see one of the symbiotes tiny heads peeking out from under the sleeve of his work shirt with its big milky eyes trained on the pavement two stories below the office, it bobbed like a lazy snake as the symbiote practically pressed its face against the glass. He seemed to be looking for someone.   
"We've talked about this. You can't come out when I'm working." He whispered, thwacking the symbiote lightly on its head with his finger. The symbiote grumbled but retreated - reluctantly - back underneath Eddie's shirt. "She'll be here when she gets here." He muttered under his breath his calloused fingers rapidly clicking the keys of the computer though they soon slowed considerably when he glanced over to his best friend's desk and her clock, wondering just where she was. "But she's 15 minutes late Eddie."   
Eddie shook his head and momentarily stopped typing. "30 actually." He sighed. Y/N was never late, it wasn't like her to be. One of the things he admired about her was how punctual she was. And because of that being - among other reasons of course - her best friend had its benefits. Her great track record was what helped her convince their boss to bring Eddie back on to the team. He was forever in her debt even though she always waved off his offers to pay her back somehow.  
' You've always taken care of me, so now it's my turn.'   
"So you are paying attention." Venom pointed out poking at the back of Eddie's neck. Eddie sighed again and leaned back in his chair dragging his large hand over his face. He kept glancing between the clock, the door to the office and looking out at the rainy landscape outside,and back again. Waiting for her to walk through the doorway,toting two cups of coffee like always. It was a bleak cold day and people were still rushing about outside. But not her.  
"Of course I'm paying attention." He muttered and stood up and walked to the break room to grab a coffee. It was useless staring out the window waiting for her to appear. He needed a distraction. "You are..worried?" The symbiote asked curiously as Eddie poured the thick black crap that just barely passed as joe into one of the flimsy paper cups. Two tiny slivers of the symbiote reached out to pick up the packets of sugar out of the small wicker basket that sat atop the microwave. Venom ripped the packets open and dumped the contents into the black liquid that nearly matched the symbiote's color.  
"Thanks." Eddie murmured and stirred the steaming beverage. "And yes. I'm worried about her." He turned and leaned back against the counter continuously stirring the coffee long after the sugar crystals had dissolved. He didn't bother drinking it. He was deep in his thoughts.  
"You care for her. You want her to be yours." The symbiote interrupted Eddie's reverie. He'd been thinking about how long he'd known her. Since their junior year in High School. He'd been remembering how she'd been there to comfort him each time he tried and failed to gain his father's attention. She and Venom knew her better than anyone else on this forsaken planet. They'd drifted apart when they graduated, as most kids did. He stayed in New York while she moved on to foggy Cali. He fucked up in New York,moved,fell in love,and fucked up again. He hadn't seen Y/N again until he began working here and even then he'd been so depressed and stuck in his own mind that he avoided her. And he'd assumed she didn't even remember him. That is until he was kicked out on his ass, and she'd been the first to advocate for his return.   
It had been as if nothing changed when he came back. She was still the girl he realized he'd loved for all of those years. He was the only one who'd changed. Having a bloodthirsty parasite alien riding inside you 24/7 did that to you.  
So the symbiote was spot on with his assumptions,but..."But it can't happen." Eddie had begun to say but the symbiote had interrupted impatiently. "Why? You so clearly want her. You forget Eddie, I share your thoughts. I see the way you think about her when you're restless. I can feel your hunger for her. Our hunger for her. It is impossible to not desire her." The symbiote hissed. Eddie stopped stirring the now tepid coffee and reached up to scratch the back of his neck lightly. Venom wasn't wrong. She was even more beautiful. Not that she hadn't always been, but she was far sexier and more alluring than ever. And now he had the symbiote noticing too which only amplified his already distracting longing for her. Venom wasn't quiet about what he'd like to do with her. Often he'd be projecting his fantasies about her so, loudly when Eddie was speaking to her. Eddie often wondered if Y/N could hear the alien.   
"What's stopping us? She already knows about me and she is far from terrified of me." The symbiote sounded amused and even Eddie chuckled. He remembered how just two weeks ago Y/N had caught the symbiote slithering out of Eddie's work shirt to steal a chocolate from her candy bowl that always sat on the edge of her desk. They'd both stayed late working on a joint article about the notorious crime boss Alfur "The Seed" Mathers. He'd gone unarrested because "he'd done absolutely nothing wrong that we can find" according to the police. The moment their boss dropped the project on the lunch table Eddie and Y/N had been sharing lunch at in the tiny excuse of a break room.  
"You wanna prove you deserve to stay here Brock? Dig up whatever dirt you can find on The Seed. I want it live in one week or your both out." God, sometimes Eddie missed J.J. He was loud,and overbearing,but he saw potential in him. At least he knew how much Eddie loved a challenge. This guy,he thought he could frighten both of them but Eddie had glanced at Y/N and she at him and had both answered: "We'll have it live in three days."  
It didn't seem to bother either of them that their careers literally rode on the article but it reminded both of them of their high school days when they used to write together. And for the next two days, they worked well into the dark of night digging up dirt on the Seed and the corrupt officers whose pockets he resided in.  
And hen Eddie pulled in 50% of the evidence needed to actually slam the Crime lord into jail,Y/N had be curious as to how. But she never asked why. Even if she had asked,Eddie wasn't about to tell her that the brunt of the evidence came from Venom,the Demon of San Francisco, scaring the living daylights out of the corrupt officers. Though Y/N did of course find out just the night before the Article was meant to go live. Just the previous night.  
~~~~~~  
Time for a flashback  
~~~~~~  
"Hey Ed, I'm going to get another cup of hot sludge. You want some-? Oh." You had turned away from your computer your half of the article nearly finished, to look at your best friend only to find he was fast asleep. When he woke his face would probably resemble the keyboard he was dozing on. But you didn't wake him. You'd been working for six hours straight without much of a break, trying to complete the article. You couldn't blame him for wanting to sleep. You pulled his hoodie off of the back of his chair and draped it over his shoulders smiling affectionately down at him. Under different circumstances, you would have leaned down to kiss his cheek.  
Other circumstances being if you were his and he was yours. You resolved to simply stroke his stubbled cheek lightly before you sat back down at your desk, the seat's back facing Eddie. You rolled your shoulders and sighed. You'd taken a peek at Eddie's idling computer and you could clearly see that he was just about finished. If he could do it you sure as hell could too. He was always a hard worker even if it seemed to the naked it eye that he was a slacker.  
He was the hardest working person you knew. Even if he insisted it was you rather than him. A soft laugh left your lips as you set back to work, the sorry excuse of coffee in the break room long forgotten.  
You were wrapping up your end of the article when your stomach grumbled softly. Rather than leave the comfort of your office chair and hunt for a snack you reached blindly over to the right for your candy bowl your left hand still typing slowly. You dipped your fingers into the bow and wrapped them around something cool and faintly moving. You froze and your gaze snapped over to the bowl where something akin to a snake with a bulbous head and large milky pupilless eyes stared up at you. One of your snack-sized chocolate bars rested unwrapped in between its row of tiny yet menacing teeth. 

"Shit-" It muttered around the bar and dropped it hastily. You realized it was not, in fact, a snake like you had originally thought. What it was you were unsure. It's ebony oil like skin seemed to move with a mind of its own undulating and curling around it like a second creature. 

"Why are you stealing my candy?" Exhausted and a little too used to seeing strange things in this world full of abnormalities, you're not too weirded out by the talking snake-thing in your candy bowl. Or maybe the new intern had laced the coffee pot with something again and that was just clouding your judgment. The creature looked perplexed it's little head actually tilting to the side a bit its big eyes widening.  
"You're...not afraid?" Huh, so it had spoken. You sat down and yawned pulling your chair closer to the side of the desk where the creature was bobbing lazily in the bowl. "I mean this is either a) a dream b) some weird acid trip from one of those fishy energy drinks Marvin brought in for everyone to try or c). Whatever c is. I'm too tired to think of something." You reach into the bowl and retrieve the bar the creature had previously dropped, little holes pierced where it's teeth had punctured it. It watched you quietly as you unwrapped the bar and offered it to the creature. You watched fascinated as it reached out with a tendril that extended from its body and snatched up the chocolate and gobbled it in one bite. It let out a satisfied purr. You gestured for it to go crazy with the rest of the chocolates and rested your chin on the tops of your folded hands.   
"So uh, not to be rude but what are you and where the fuck did you come from?" You asked after watching the creature rip packages open and ingest three chocolate bars purring afterward like a kitten. It made a soft clicking sound not unlike a chuckle and your eyes followed the tendril it'd been using to feed itself. It was pointing at Eddie's sleeping form. You blinked and noticed that the creature seemed to be extending itself from Eddie, or rather from underneath his shirt. How had you not noticed that before?  
"We are Venom." It said by way of answering both of your questions. It seemed to gesture vaguely between itself and Eddie as if to say.. "You mean you're a part of my best friend? Is that what you mean?" It hummed in agreement. Had you not been running on 2 hours of sleep and caffeine alone, you probably would have been far more freaked out. Probably. But right now you weren't. Instead, you blinked again and nodded a look of understanding crossing your face. "That explains why he's been so weird. Weirder than usual I mean." The creature - Venom, laughed again/. It was a pleasant sound and you found yourself laughing along with it. Which wakes Eddie in the process.   
"Well fuck-" Is the first thing to come out of his mouth when he sees you and Venom talking. You laugh again and cross your arms.  
"You've got some explaining to do Mr. Brock."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Reader's contribution to the joint Article is definitely beneficial, but how did she get it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ///  
> PSA: I suck at summaries  
> A.N// Alfur's appearance is based heavily on this: https://secretsandgreeneyes.tumblr.com/post/178983714949/1401-stranger-in-a-strange-land

 

  "Damn. You never change do you?" You ask, smiling at Eddie, long after the initial shock that Eddie Brock, your best friend, is the Demon of San Fransico. Venom still hovered above the desk happily taking the pieces of chocolate you unwrapped and offered to him.   After Eddie had explained everything to you, you'd felt a pang deep in your stomach. You hadn't been there for him when he needed you.  What he'd gone through was something you couldn't imagine going through. But you were happy he was okay, more than okay he said now that you were both speaking to each other again. And the symbiote was a real sweetie, you kind of wished you met them earlier.  But back to you feeling guilty. Eddie had explained that the intel he'd gotten about the corrupt police force had come from him and Venom inciting fear into the hearts of the corrupt men and women who were being paid off to look the other way. The symbiote and Eddie had done actual work, got down and dirty to do what needed to be done to keep both of your jobs.  

  He was watching Venom gobble each piece of candy with increasing ferocity, a judging look on his lightly stubbled face. He looks up at you his blue eyes tired. He raises his eyebrows. "What's that supposed to mean?"  You laugh and set the bowl of candy down to which the alien dives into the bowl and sits in it purring contently as he begins demolishing what's left. You faintly muse that he reminds you of Eddie's crazy hamster when you were in middle school. 

"I mean, Mr. Sensitive, " You tease to which he scoffs. "That you're still the same hardworking, sweet guy you were when we were growing up." You smile when you see Eddie's cheeks grow rosy in embarrassment. He scratches his neck, a familiar tick when he's nervous or bashful. He opens his mouth to speak but the Symbiote interrupts next to you.

 **"He's far from sweet."** The alien rumbles. Its deep commanding voice seems out of place on the small form it's taking. You've seen pictures of them gigantic and beautifully terrifying. But he's looking up at you about the size of your palm, his big white eyes unblinking as he speaks. It's amusing. **"He called me a parasite."** Venom hisses at Eddie and Eddie roll his eyes throwing his hand up in exasperation. "We've been over this. You know I didn't mean it in _that_   way." 

Venom scoffs disbelievingly but resumes eating anyway. You chuckle and criss-cross your legs underneath you, resting your chin in your palm. Eddie shakes his head and tilts it. "What's so funny?" You shake your head and gesture between the symbiote gorging himself on chocolate and the human he's attached to.

"You two. You squabble like an old married couple." You laugh. "It's adorable." You tease and Eddie leans forward and flicks you on your nose. You stick your tongue out at him. He's chuckling too, and you smile warmly. You'd missed this. Just this, sitting and talking with him, being near him. It made you feel safe, and like - in the most cliche way possible - the world wasn't a giant turd. You missed him. And you wished you hadn't drifted apart. If you had just told him how you felt before he left, before he met Anne maybe, just possibly you could have been tog-

"....get your intel?" You blink, realizing that Eddie is speaking to you, completely oblivious to the fact that you're fantasizing about the two of you being together like a schoolgirl. You realize that in your daydreaming your eyes had settled on his plump, kissable lips. You mentally whack yourself. There was absolutely no need to add that last bit. You shake your head and tear your eyes away from his mouth and force yourself to look into his eyes.

"Sorry, what? I'm coming down off my caffeine high, I'm a bit loopy." You chuckle nervously and he laughs. 

"A bit?" He teases and swats your hand away before you can flick his forehead. "I was asking,"

[] **Eddie/Venom's POV** []

"How did you get all of your intel? Unless you have a para- er, _other_   who threatens to bite people's heads off too." Eddie asked as he took a piece of chocolate she offered him, but didn't open it only rolled it between his fingers. It didn't take long for Venom to steal it.

  She'd always come into work on time, and she still did. But ever since they'd started working on the exposé, she seemed to be hiding something. Cutting it awfully close when she got in. She never was any good at hiding things, though as Venom had so helpfully pointed out, he still hadn't exactly figured it out yet. 

He frowned as he watched her face fall a bit, and mirror his own nervous tick by scratching the back of her neck. She chuckled nervously. Eddie leaned forward and squinted at her, Venom copying him, though he didn't stop his demolation of her candy bowl. 

"Y/N? What did you do?"

She scoffed and pushed her work chair back and twindled her fingers. She wasn't helping herself. Whatever it was couldn't be any good. And the longer she didn't say anything,the more worried Eddie became.

 **"You're hiding something."** Venom expertly pointed out. "No shit." Eddie said and pinned her with a curious look.

[] **Your POV** []

You shot your own look at Venom, and then sighed and crossed your arms. "I promise I'll tell you after the article goes live.It's...uh,hard to explain." You whince feeling a little guilty. He'd just told you everything without much hesitation,and yet you weren't ready to tell him. You expected him to point this out,but he just shrugged and shook his head a smile tugging at his lips. "

"Always so secretive." He chuckled. You laughed along with him but it quickly died when you realized Venom had stopped eating, he was staring rather skeptically at you. You shooed him away from your desk. 

"Let's get this finished." You said, and that's exactly what you did. The next day the article went live and J.J. was impressed enough - "And infatuated with you enough" Eddie teased later - that he let Eddie keep his job. You hadn't doubted for a minute that he'd keep his job. Eddie was an amazing writer. Always had been, even before he switched majors in College before you drifted away from each other.

[]Present[] 

 

 

Now you had a promise to keep. The information about which corrupt officers were in the pockets of Alfur, and his various "bases of operation", was not simple information to gather. You couldn't just find that out from digging through records. There were _none._ The city was aware of the man's crimes. Grand Theft, various robberies, and kidnappings. But if there were no records of such events it was as if they never happened. He'd been quiet for the last year, keeping to small things like thievery and such, and with the fast pace this world - this city moved in, his bigger more notable crimes faded into the background. Overshadowed now especially by what had happened with the Life Foundation, and places like New York when that alien invasion happened. People weren't concerned anymore with small things like Alfur anymore. The possibility, the simple fact that you aren't alone in this universe was far more appealing.

But you still had bills to pay and all of that exciting business. J.J had given you the article per your request. And he'd gladly given it to you. "It won't do this city any good." He had added. You were aware of that. Of the possibility that no one would pay attention to the article, but it didn't matter. You wanted to do it, needed to. Though you couldn't explain why you did you just did. Mystery solving,crime-stopping all of that jazz had always been fun for you. Had always been a passion of yours. And not everyone could carry around a star bangled shield. You saved the day by bringing to light what the bad and corrupt tried to hide.

And sometimes you got so into digging up secrets and unearthing the darkness in this city, you got carried away. Like you may have accidentally done this time. How had you gotten your information, indeed? And why was the Crime boss whom you'd just spent weeks exposing, sitting right next to you in the back of his sleek black Limo, his arm around your shoulder? Driving you to work of all things? 

It's not like you exactly planned for it to happen like that.

After a little digging, you'd discovered that the "Seed's" favorite hotspot was the Terrace House. A sleek and sleazy nightclub for the wealthy and the evil. It wasn't hidden. Everyone in the city knew where it was. Knew what went on down there. Trafficking, drug dealings, and dealings of other less savory kinds. And yet it was never shut down, never raided by law enforcement. And Alfur was the king of the club. And he loved entertainment. Specifically of the feminine variety. 

What better way than to go undercover, posing as the newest waitress at his rat hole? You'd only intended to pick up secrets in passing, and from the other girls. As well as noting the officers you saw lounging around with the criminals they were supposed to be locking up. 

But Alfur had taken notice of you on your first night.  He'd requested time with you. Alone. Nothing happened, he'd insisted he was a gentleman. He'd only wanted to talk. And talk he had. 

[]9 Days prior []

_"My, my, my what a beautiful creature you are." Alfur all but purrs this. His southern drawl is faint, curling around the edges of his words. He gestures for you to sit. You're in a fully furnished back room, a long walk from the main ballroom. No one would be able to hear you scream. You swallow hard and clasp your hands together behind your back to hide the fact that they are faintly shaking._

_He chuckles and gestures for you to sit on the suave scarlet couch set against the back wall. Maybe sleazy wasn't the right word for the appearance of this place. Whoever funded the construction and interior design of this place - all signs pointed to Alfur- had spared no expense. This..." playroom" as the waitress you'd been working alongside, had put it, was larger than your apartment.  An insanely comfortable looking four-poster sat temptingly across from you. The linen draped over it looked like it could clean Ms. Chen out of her extensive candy section. The room included a kitchenette furnished with stainless steel. It was appealing to the eye. It was made, just like the rest of the club, to look as attractive as possible. To draw the eye away from what was really going on. You knew these rooms were designed to appease the people they abducted. People the city would forget, and wouldn't hunt for. Why would they ever want to leave when the Terrace House gave them what this city couldn't?_

_"Have a seat ." He says firmly this time when you don't sit right away. He's clearly not taking no for an answer so you sit. He smiles and sits down across from you one long leg crossing over the other in an equally suave looking armchair. He sits on it like a throne. His chin rests in his palm and his finger traces his plush lips lightly as he stares at you. He's handsome in a rugged way it's hard not to notice that. He looks like something  out of the early 20th century with his twead suit topped off with a Newsboy cap that casts a shadow over his forest green eyes. Eyes that seem to be memorizing your face._

_"What brings you here...Miss Y/N?" You try not to stiffen when he speaks your name. You'd  gotten the job relatively fast, there hadn't exactly been a traditional interview. The bouncer had ensured you were over 18, checked your -fake - id and you were in. You hadn't used your real name though. And you'd dawned a pink pixie cut wig. Not the best disguise but you'd intended to be in and out in five hours flat hopefully with more intel then you'd started out with. The disguise was just so that when the article went live, and it would, Alfur wouldn't send his men after you. So how did he know your name?_

_"Oh? You thought I didn't know who you were? Darlin' I know who each and_ every _one of you is. You're Jameson's top reporter. You live at 250 Fell street, no pets and you spend your weekends working part-time for that sweet little shopkeeper, Peggy Chen. Oh, sweetheart, I know everything about you." You can't stop your mouth from falling open, and you quickly close it. But Alfur sees and chuckles._

_"How the hell do you know all of that?" You hiss at him standing quickly.  He chuckles again. He finds you amusing. It irks you._

_"That's my secret. I'm sure you'd like to know all of my other secrets too, now wouldn't you?" He drawls and leans forward his smile curling into a malicious smirk. "For your little expose~?" You blanch and sit back down with a soft thump. He chuckles - cackles really - and sits back._

_"As I said before. I know everything about you dearest. And I'm willing to share my secrets with you - for a price." Your head had fallen into your hands, but at his words, you looked up and glared at him. "You really think I want anything from you now?"_

_He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and his hands folded with his chin resting atop them. He raises his eyebrows as he speaks. "Oh no. I know you don't want anything now. I'm well aware of that. But as I said before I know **everything** about you darling. Like your infatuation with Edward Brock. I know things about him too. Things that would absolutely_ horrify you _. But I am a gentleman, and I believe that is his story to tell. " He says and you do your best not to scoff at him. Some gentleman. And what horrifying things? "I know that this little expose will ensure that he continues working by your side. So you may not want the juicy knowledge I can give you. But you **need** it for him."  You swallow and remain silent.  "So, I have a proposition for you." That can't be good. But you remain silent, allowing him to continue. "If you become my...companion, I'll tell you whatever you want to know. That's it. That's all you have to do. Grace me with your presence and your Edward can keep his job."_

_You frowned. This didn't make any sense. He just wanted you to be his ..what? His girl? It didn't add up, and yet..you were considering it. For Eddie's sake._

"Why would you willingly _give me your secrets? You know what we're using them for. You'll go away for a good long while before you ever see the sun again." Alfur looks surprised by the last bit, but he's chuckling regardless._

_"Damn. I knew you were a fiery one. We'll have lots of fun darlin'." You shudder and look away from  his piercing eyes. "Besides. You know I control the law around here. Always have. Always will. You can write your little article,and reveal all of my dark secrets, but you know it'll do absolutely nothing." You knew he was right. Now the only thing spurring you to finish that article, was securing Eddie's job. You couldn't watch him descend back into depression again. Work kept him distracted and eased some of his pain._

_You're silent, your hands folding and unfolding in your lap, a  thin silver bracelet Eddie had given you years ago slipping and rubbing against your wrists as you did. Finally you looked up at Alfur, that condescending smirk still playing on his lips._

_"Fine. I'll do it. But I am nothing but a companion. I refuse to do anything of..that sort with you." Your cheeks warm softly as you speak both from embarrassment and the hatred for Alfur that is beginning to grow in the pit of your stomach. He chuckles and nods._

_"But of course. I'm an old fashioned man sweetheart." He insists. He stands then and stalks toward you. He leans down and you lean back until you're pressed hard against the back of the couch. He plants both of his large hands on either side of your head. His cologne wafts over you. Some type of mint mixed with a smokey wood. It's dizzying and you do your best to stare him down, resisting the urge to leap over the back of the couch to get away from his suddenly ice cold stare._

_"But know this dearest. If you back out of this lovely arrangement. If you so much as look at me wrong? Mr. Brock will be dead faster than you can say 'No'. You're in this with me until I see fit to let you go.Understood?" Your blood runs cold and a sob sits in your chest,but you still glare defiantly and steady your breathing._

_"Understood." You whisper._

_His hard stare transforms back into his seemingly permanent smirk and he pats you affectionately on your cheek. "Wonderful." He takes your hand and pulls you up onto your feet. "Now what dark, juicy secrets would you like to hear first?"_

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

[]Present Day[]

Long after you extensively interviewed – "Think of it not as interviewing, but rather. Getting to know your new lover darling." – Alfur, he'd kept you at the bar, late into the night. He wanted to get to know you in person. He made it quite obvious that he already knew everything about you. It left you feeling exposed and naked under his eyes.

You cringed at the thought now as you watched the clouds and apartments roll past the limousine window. He'd come to pick you up at 9:30 sharp. You'd only gotten about three hours of sleep after you'd finished the article. You'd gone to sleep easily, and your cheeks reddened when you remembered you'd dreamt of Eddie – per usual – with Venom added to the mix. Though this time the alien had been in the hulking form you'd only seen in newspapers. You bit your lip and shook your head.

You glanced across to the seat in front of you where Alfur sat watching you. His green eyes were hard and cold, but a soft smirk ghosted his lips. You looked away. You wanted to pretend you weren't sitting across from a notorious crime boss. Pretend you hadn't struck a deal with a monster. It still made no sense to you why he'd struck the deal with you. Why hadn't he just? You don't know, disposed of you like you'd heard horror stories about? The moment he knew you were a reporter, he could- should have had you wiped off the map. But he hadn't. You couldn't think of one notable spectacular thing about you that would warrant catching the eye of "The Seed".

"You're still worrying your pretty little head about why I picked you, aren't you?" He asks breaking the silence that had hung heavy over you since the moment you stepped out of your apartment and laid eyes on Alfur and the sleek black limo. For someone who seemed to enjoy staying hidden, he wasn't being very inconspicuous about his vehicle choice.

"No. I was thinking how nice it would feel to open this door and roll out onto the asphalt- away from you." You respond to him your voice dripping with forced sweetness. He chuckles and leans forward resting an elbow on a knee and the adjoining hand cushioning his chin. He finds your snide remarks and quick wit amusing.

"Oh, you wouldn't dream of it darlin'."

"Oh? And why wouldn't I?" You question mirroring his movement and raising an eyebrow. You doubted he'd hurt you. He chuckled again dryly.

"Because the moment you did is the moment you can say goodbye to that Edward Brock." His lips curl into what could be a charming smile if he wasn't who he was and he hadn't said what he just said. A chill skitters it's way up your spine and you resist the strong urge to shudder.

God. You hate this man's guts. And you hate that you've somehow gotten yourself into this situation. You glare at him and sit back in your seat sighing, resisting the urge to roll out of the moving car anyway.

Five minutes of cold silence on your part passes with you occupying yourself with imagining different ways you could smack that seemingly permanent smirk off Alfur's face. It's pissing you off and his eyes never leave you. It makes you want to squirm out of his line of sight. Just as you're thinking of how you can wipe the smirk off with the bottle of Vodka resting in the little mini bar the door at your side opens. You hadn't even realized you'd stopped. Alfur's driver, and supposed bodyguard with the way he trailed after Alfur stood like a silent stone waiting for you to slip out of the car. You look outside, confused to see that you're parked in front of the deli about three blocks away from the Globe. Mr. Devon, the shopkeeper is outside sweeping nonexistent dust from the pavement.

"You here for breakfast Y/N?" He asks hopefully, peering curiously through his large framed glasses into the limo. Alfur is just out of view, the second door blocking Mr. Devon from seeing just who sits across from you.

"Um, not this time Mr. Devon. I've got an article up today. I think it'll be a hit." You answer glancing over at Alfur. He laughs softly. You raise an eyebrow and tip your head curiously towards the deli as if to ask why you're stopping here.

"Oh, did you think I'd seriously risk being seen?" He tilts his head to the side. He chuckles when he sees your face and sees on it the split second reaction. You had sort of kind of hoped that would happen. "Oh, darlin' you don't get to my level by letting your guard down. Now," He reaches over the chest that sits in between his seat and the one next to it. In it, he pulled out a stout black bag. You peered curiously at the unmarked bag. "You'll be late for work."

He pulls out a small palm-sized box, unmarked as well, and opens it. Inside a small silver bracelet glinted up at you. It looked almost identical to the one Eddie had given you when you were in high school as a graduation present. Except this one had a shiny gemstone set into an 'x' shaped cavity in the piece of jewelry. You recognized the stone.

"How did you know my-"

"Birthstone?" A soft smile touched his lips and he gently took your hand gently. You watched him slip the bracelet over your hand. It nestled alongside Eddie's. It looked wrong sitting next to Eddie's and it made you want to rip it off. He lifted your hand to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to your skin, his sleeve hiking up slightly.

You shivered when his warm lips pressed against you. Your cheeks warmed softly and you looked away. Your eyes fell on a Celtic like tree tattoo on his wrist. Before you could really think much of it he released your hand. He gestured for you to leave the vehicle. Reminding you that you didn't want to be late for work.

"Have a wonderful day at work darling. And congratulations on your article." You bit back a snide remark and stepped away from the curb watching his driver close the door and move over to the driver's side. He drove off and left you watching the limo disappear.

"Fancy new boyfriend you've got there." You'd forgotten Mr. Devon was standing there and you jumped slightly. Your cheeks heated and you turned to him shouldering your messenger bag onto your shoulder. "Oh, um..he's not my boyfri-" You start to say before Mr. Devon's wife comes out of the deli and whacks him over the head with a rolled newspaper.

"Stop being so nosey Gary!" He hisses softly and covers his head.

"Damn it, woman! I wasn't being nosey. I was just remarking how fancy her boyfr-" She swats him again and pinches the nape of his black apron and drags him into the deli where the morning crowd has started to line up. You chuckle softly but then stop abruptly when you realize that can only mean one thing-

"Shit-" You whisper when you look down and see the time on your watch. You book it toward the Daily Globe cursing San Fran's sloped roads and your already tired legs. You're only five minutes late, but you're never late. You don't intend to start making that a habit now.

You curse Alfur to the ends of the earth as you stumble into the revolving doors of the Globe. You shoot a hurried "Hello" to Selena, the receptionist and just stumble into the elevator amongst disgruntled and equally late workers from different departments in the building.

Six stops later and the elevator finally stops on your floor. You sigh with relief and step out of the crowded metal box. You groan softly when you see your boss through the glass doors of the main office. You see him standing over your cubicle looking disgruntled, annoyed. You roll your eyes and walk into the office. You say a few hellos, and fleetingly accept the congratulations you receive on the article. Half of these people barely paid attention to you before. But you take the congrats anyway as you make your way towards your boss.

"You're late y/l/n," He says.

"And good morning to you too. Oh, why thank you for the congratulations on the article that saved my best friends ass. And of course, no problem for never being late." You say reaching into your bag and hand a muffin wrapped in foil towards him. His favorite, blueberry. You're the only one who ever gets away with talking to him this way. He looks pissed for a second more before the hard look in his eyes shifts and he smiles and lets out a loud laugh. His whole body shakes with the laughter. He takes the muffin with one hand and claps your shoulder with the other, still laughing.

"You're my favorite here. You know that right?" He asks.

"Yes, I know. I also still think you're a giant bear and that you need to lay off of the muffins." You joke back. He's set off chuckling again and you smile. He walks off, hands on his hips chuckling. You set your stuff down on your desk sighing heavily. You reach into your chocolate bowl, remembering as soon as your fingers touch the cool bottom of the plastic bowl, that Venom had eaten them all the night before. You smile softly remembering.

You glanced over at Eddie's desk to see that he isn't sitting there. You raise an eyebrow and assume he's gone to the break room for coffee.

You walked to the break room looking over the article. You'd grabbed a newspaper early in the morning before Alfur had come to pick you up, on your usual muffin and donut run. The article had gone to print several hours before and when you'd gotten to Ms. Chen's store. You'd been delighted to see that the delivery truck could barely set the pages up on the display racks before Ms. Chen's usual morning crowd -late night partiers hunting for greasy food and Advil, and young parents who'd been up for hours with crying babies – Captured them up and sold her out.

You smiled at your name next to Eddie's under the article. The article would do nothing to put Alfur down and ever stop him from doing what he did, but it would bring to light things people probably didn't know. Of course, some of those things were what Alfur had decided to tell you. You were sure there were many other things he hadn't told you. It didn't matter now. Eddie's job was secure. You didn't have to worry anymore. You would deal with Alfur on your own.

Your annoyance with Alfur was momentarily placed at the back of your mind when you neared the break room. You faintly detected Eddie's voice and a second one. Venom's low rumbling growl of a voice. The "Other" seemed to be attempting to whisper. He wasn't very good at it.

You slowed your gait just outside of the room and listened intently, perking up when the alien spoke and you realized he was talking about you.

 **"...stopping us? She's already met me and she was far from terrified last night."** You smiled and heard Eddie chuckle. You turned into the doorway leaning against it on a cocked hip. An amused smile played on your face when you caught sight of the symbiote taking its tiny form bobbing just above the cup of sludge in Eddie's hand. The alien was attempting to steal sips from the stirrer/straw and Eddie kept moving the cup away swatting the little tendrils Venom stretched out, away.

They hadn't noticed you yet and you used that to take in Eddie. He was as handsome as ever. Of course, he looked like crap, tired and stressed. You were sure you looked the same. His dirty blonde hair stood in a wild mess. Per usual. It was likely the result of general stress. He tended to rake his fingers through his hair when he was nervous or agitated. It made you want to swoon like one of those women on the front of romance covers whenever he did it. You laughed softly at yourself shaking your head.

He looked up then and a look of relief washed over his face. You wondered what for. You walked into the break room and slid the paper onto the counter.

"Congratulations Brock." You said smiling up at him. You walked over to the cabinet behind him and opened it retrieving a soft foam coffee cup from the stack. Venom looked up at you with his own grin. You grinned and reached around the both of them for the coffee pot.

[]Eddie's POV[]

"Yeah, seems like you're stuck with us now," Eddie says his breath hitching lightly when her shoulder brushes softly against him. He'd been so worried about her that he'd completely put the thought of the article out of his mind. He watched her finger stroke the top of Venom's head and felt the symbiote purr softly. She looked up at him. God he loved those eyes, the way they always twinkled when she was up to something and the way they seemed to stare into his soul.

 **"You sound ridiculous."** Venom spoke inside Eddie's head still leaning into Y/N's touch.

"I don't sound ridiculous." Eddie thought back, ignoring the alien when he repeated himself.

"I'm not complaining." Y/N said taking the cold cup of coffee from Eddie's hand and replacing it with the hot one she had just fixed. He thanked her and followed her out of the break room back to their side of the office. Venom reluctantly retreated back into Eddie.

"Where were you?" Eddie asked when they'd both sat down. A stricken look crossed her beautiful face for a quick second before it was gone but Eddie had seen it. "You're never late." He said sipping the coffee and raising his eyebrows at her blue eyes piercing over the rim of the coffee cup. He hummed in satisfaction when the sweet but flavorful coffee hit his tongue. She always knew how to make the hot sludge taste decent. Co-workers often came to her for coffee though she bashfully stressed that she didn't do anything special to it.

"I just had trouble getting up this morning. And..uh..I walked." She said hurriedly. Eddie frowned and set his cup down swatting away a dark tendril that slipped out of his sleeve stretching towards the cup.

"I could have given you a ride, you know that." He said looking worried. 

"Oh no. There was no way I was getting on that death trap with you. You were nearly as tired as me last night. If not more. You would have crashed." She laughed and waved her hand dismissively shaking her head. He caught sight of the bracelet he'd given her years ago, but next to it was another one nearly identical but it had a sleeker look and her birthstone was visible in the middle of it. He frowned. She hadn't been wearing that last night when they'd pulled the all-nighter to get the article up. He'd also never seen it before then. 

"I'm hurt that you have so little faith in me. It would have been perfectly safe. Only a few minor scrapes and dislocated limbs." He said chuckling too. Though his mind was still on the bracelet. She wasn't one to buy things for herself. She was a giver. So who'd given it to her? He wondered.

[]Your POV[]

You felt sick to your stomach hiding what you'd done from Eddie. It just didn't sit right with you. You trusted Eddie. You never lied to him, or hid things from him. When he needed it, you were brutally honest with him. And when he didn't need it, when it would have been better to lie, you were still honest with him.

You knew he could tell you were hiding something but you weren't ready for him to know yet. Maybe it was because you were afraid of what he would think of you. Fraternizing with the enemy? He'd be pissed, wouldn't he?

But you weren't so sure it was that. Maybe it was the itching fact that if he knew Alfur would kill him on the spot and you'd never forgive yourself if that happened.

You repressed a heavy sigh and smiled at Eddie. "It's fine. I'm here now. Totally safe." You weren't so sure about that. "Now let's get back to work. I think Jameson is one step closer to tanning my hide because I was late _one_ day."

Eddie chuckled and turned to his computer. You let out the repressed sigh and your shoulders sagged. You could tell this secret was going to weigh heavily on you. You'd be fine..right?

[]After Work[]

You followed Eddie and the rest of your co-workers out of the building. You hummed softly as the evening sun warmed you. Jameson kept the office cranked down to 56.

"The cold'll get your creative writing juices flowing..or whatever it is Selena was trying to tell me.." He'd muttered when you asked him to warm the office up.

"Edster." You called to Eddie as he walked towards his bike. It was gorgeous sitting in the sun the shiny metal glinting. He chuckled as he continued walking with you close behind.

"You haven't called me that since senior year."

He noted swinging his left leg over the side of the bike as he settled himself on it. You laughed realizing he was right.

"Old habits die hard. Speaking of which," You leaned against his bike your hands slipping into the pockets of your bomber jacket. He raised an eyebrow encouraging you to keep going.

"Chocolate and tater tots at my place?" You ask and the moment you finish speaking Venom makes an appearance right under the collar of Eddie's shirt. He startles you for a split second because you'd been so engrossed in your work and trying to distract yourself from Alfur that you'd forgotten Venom was here. He peered over the collar of Eddie's shirt curiously looking at you his already abnormally large white eyes, widening even more.

"You need to stop making appearances." Eddie hissed at the alien. Venom ignores him and speaks to you instead.

 **"Chocolate..and tater tots?"** He inquires. You nod.

"It's a snack-"

"Meal." Eddie interjected.

You laugh. "Okay,a _meal_ Eddie and I used to gorge ourselves on when we were classmates." You hadn't done that in so long. You hadn't had the chance with Eddie's job on the line. You still wanted to catch up with him after all of these years. You missed him. And you still had feelings for him.

Venom looked up at Eddie sliding almost completely out from under his collar now that the parking lot was completely empty and the sun was quickly setting.

 **"It's not..our thing?"** You blinked, taken aback by the slight sound of betrayal in the alien's voice. He didn't stay miffed for long though. He turned to you.

 **"We're coming over."** He answered for Eddie. You laughed and Eddie rolled his eyes. He smiled at you and nodded. He picked up the single helmet resting on the bike. It looked brand-new, never used. As in, Eddie never used it.

You sighed resolving to just hang tight. You took the helmet and slipped it onto your head snapping the clasp under your chin. You slid onto the bike behind Eddie and wrapped your arms tightly around his torso. You rested your cheek on his back. You pushed the sudden thought that sprung up in your mind about how strong his back felt. You flushed and swatted the accompanying dirty thoughts that followed, away.

The bike roared to life underneath you and you felt a nervous giggle bubble out of you. The giggle died in your throat when you felt something wrap around your waist a warm slick like substance touching the tiny sliver of skin that was exposed by your shirt hiking up. You looked down and saw the unmistakable black tendrils of Venom's body, wrapped around your waist like a belt. He was securing you on the seat and against Eddie.

"He says he doesn't want you to fall," Eddie says sounding amused. You look up at him glancing over his shoulder at you. A matching amused smile is on his face and you raise an eyebrow.

"WHAT'S SO FUNNY?" You ask over the roar of the bike. Eddie shrugs and turns back so that he's facing forward again. The last warm rays of golden sunlight light his face up.

"Nothing. He just...doesn't usually take so well to other people." He answers. You smile and lay your cheek on his back again. You can't help but feel a little special.  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

The ride is relatively short on Eddie's bike. He's not exactly speeding like a maniac. But he's definitely going fast enough that you feel as if you're flying on the bike. But you're not afraid. Especially with Venom holding you securely.

You like the way the bike rumbles underneath you and the ease of control that Eddie exercises. You wonder faintly why you'd never ridden with him before.

'Oh..right, because up until a few months ago, you were like strangers.' You remind yourself as the bike rolls to a stop in front of the apartment and you slide off. You feel like you're still vibrating when you plant both of your feet on the ground. You slip the helmet off and place it on top of his bike and grab your bag off of the seat.

He follows you up the steps of the apartment complex until you stop in front of your door. You jostle your keys out of your jacket's pocket and unlock the door.

Just before Eddie comes into the apartment you see it. A black envelope with Alfur's tatoo monogrammed on the front in bold blood red. You snatch it up quickly and slip it into your messenger bag. A sick, cold feeling washes over you. He,or one of his henchmen more likely, had been in your apartment. It made you want to throw up. 

"You alright?" You nearly jumped out of your skin. You'd nearly forgoten you weren't alone. You turned and smiled at Eddie. 

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just bills." You lie. Your first real lie to him. You felt like with Alfur hanging over your head, it wouldn't be the last. You sighed softly and lead Eddie into the living area. You set your bag down on the couch and gestured for him to make himself at home. You went into the kitchen, the bar sitting just behind the couch so you could easily talk to him while you whipped up your old snack- excuse me, meal. 

You realized as you put the frozen tots in the oven and pulled a bottle of chocolate syrup out of the fridge. 

"Beer?" You asked. He shook his head though he seemed preoccupied with something on your coffee table. You brouht him a soda instead and one for yourself. You handed it to him and plopped down on the couch next to him.

"What're you looking at- Oh crap-" You laughed and covered your face embarassed. The cool glass bottle of the soda pressed against your skin, hiding your face. Eddie was preoccupied with the photo album wide open on the table. Your Mom had brought it over when she'd come to visit. It was chock full of naked baby pictures and other equally embarassing childhood pictures. 

Eddie laughed and Venom came out to look for himself rather than through Eddie's eyes. He peered at each picture curiously. 

 **"Human spawn are so...meaty."** He commented. Though it didn't sound like it was malicious. Just a curious observation. You laughed and looked at the picture he was hovering over. You looked to be about 2 and it was a picture of you taking your first steps before you toppled over and fell flat on your chubby little face. That happened to be the next picture. 

"Yeah. We tend to start out that way."

You continued looking at pictures until you turned a page and instantly regretted it. The picture on the left page in the center of the aged paper, was of your Mom and Eddie's. They had their arms across each other's shoulders and they were midlaugh, they're twin baby bumps pressed gently together. You'd forgotten that picture was in there. Forgotten that the reason you and Eddie had grown up together was because your mother's were practically sisters. 

It had been a blessing that after Eddie's mother had died that his deadbeat trash of a father had aloud you both to play together. You remained silent watching Eddie trace his mother's face. He resembled his father the most which you knew he hated,but his piercing eyes came from his mother. And you could see his smile in hers.

"You alright?" You ask leaning forward and setting your soda on the table peering at Eddie past Venom who was still curiously tracing the pictures with his black tendrils.  Eddie glanced up at you. You'd expected sadness to be in his eyes but he just looked tired, and..peaceful. 

"I'm good." He reassured you. You weren't a hundred percent sure. He was good at hiding things. His rage,and anger all for his father. And the loss and pain he felt for his mother. At least he was good at hiding those things from other people. It was harder for him to hide it from you.

But you were saddened to realize you were out of practice. That the years between high school graduation and now, when you hadn't spoken to him, had changed him. They still hadn't changed the things you loved about him,but he was different. And it didn't have anything to do with the Alien riding his ass.

You dropped the subject anyway and turned the page. Not before slipping the picture out of it's protective sleeve and easing it off of the glue, and handing it to Eddie. You had other copies of your mother. But you knew from witnessing it firsthand, that Eddie's father had burned all the pictures of her in his grief. Eddie had been 4. And he'd come home with you crying and with an angry bruise over his left eye. It was the last time you saw him cry.

 

 **"Why are your eyes glassy?"** Venom startled you and Eddie both and you realized you'd been staring at Eddie. Venom was peering at you with a questioning look on his otherwise emotionless face. He was moving closer and closer to you studying your eyes. You blinked three times until the feeling of tears disappaited. You opened your mouth to come up with an excuse- some other lie as Eddie and Venom were both peering curiously, and worriedly, at you. But then the oven let out it's annoying shirll beep alerting you that the food was done. You hopped up much too eagerly and slipped into the kitchen. 

You scolded yourself for leaving your face so open. 'Old habits die hard.' You thought again as you opened the oven and reached into it to grab the tra-

"Just a suggestion but you might want to use those super handy oven mitts of yours." Eddie says as he comes into the kitchen startling you. You stop reaching for the tray and realise that you had in fact been reaching for the hot tray without oven mitts. You laughed nervously and took the oven mitts he handed you. 

You'd been so deep in your thoughts that you hadn't noticed. You shook your head. That wasn't the first time that had happened today. You set the tray on the stove and handed Eddie a bottle of chocolate syrup. 

You grabbed your own and a bowl and used a silver spatula from the utensil carousel sitting against the wall. You shoveled tots into your bowl and were about to do the same for Eddie but Venom was already reaching for the food with several tendrils. As you watched, you remembered the dream you had about the both of them, mostly involving the Alien's tendrils. Your cheeks heated about ten degrees hotter than they already were from the heat of the oven. 

'Stop thinking sexual thoughts about your best friend and his..other.' 

You scolded yourself as you followed Eddie back into the living room. You distracted yourself by squirting chocolate syrup over the tater tots and popping one into your mouth. It was still fairly hot but the cool chocolate syrup took the brunt of the heat. 

Eddie laughed when you let out a nearly pornographic moan when the salty-sweet combination hit your tastebuds. You laughed too and swatted him. It'd been forever since you'd eaten the snack. It heald in it's own way, a lot of fond memories of you and Eddie when you were younger. 

It had been your comfort food when you had a bad day. He'd come over to your house after school if you were sick or having a particularly bad period and he'd whip it up for you. And you'd do the same. Minus the period bit. 

You watched as Venom stole half of the contents of Eddie's bowl purring each time he tossed another one into his mouth. He reminded you of a cat. 

"Did it hurt?" You heard yourself ask suddenly. You blink unsure of where that even came from. You hadn't even been thinking about it directly. Or maybe you had and you just didn't want to admit it.

"Did what hurt?" Eddie asked his tired blue eyes turning to you. Not tired of you,just tired. He looked like he could pass out the moment his head hit a pillow. Before you'd gone your seperate ways he'd always looked like that,but worse. He still looked tired now, but he seemed to be doing better. You wondered if that was thanks to Venom.

"When you and Venom..uh..bonded? Did it hurt you?" You were genuinely curious. And a little worried. 

"Oh. That." He said setting his bowl down. It was nearly empty anyway,thanks to Venom. You immediately regret asking the question. 

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. You don't have to answer if you don't want to." You sputtered feeling embarassed that things were so akward between the two of you sometimes. You hated that things had become that way.

Eddie shook his head waving away your protest. "It's fine Y/N. No it didn't hurt. It was just...a little disorienting." He chuckled. You laughed too feeling relieved that you hadn't somehow overstepped your bounds. 

He turned to you on the couch and clasped his hands together. 

"What else would you like to know?" You were delighted that he was willing to still talk to you and that you hadn't totally ruined the mood.

"Hold on." You say excitedly. You set your finished bowl down on the coffee table and skittered to your bedroom. You came out seconds later with a small blue notebook. You opened it and turned to a dog eared page. Eddie peered over the top of the journal and laughed.

"You wrote down questions for us?" He asked looking amused. You schrunced up your nose at him and stuck your tongue out as you sat down again. 

"The moment I got home last night. Don't pick fun." You chided when he started chuckling again. 

 

Hours later you'd asked all of the question you could think of and many more. How big were they at full size? ( **"Does she mean our endowment or..?"** Venom had semi-innocently asked and you had disolved into laughs hiding your warm face. It hadn't been what you meant, but now you were curious.) And how did the whole bond work.

Eventually the questions steered further away from that subject matter and into things about Eddie. You wanted to know how he was doing. How things between him and Annie were. (You ignored the burst of happiness that spread through you when you heard that they weren't together, and opted to comfort Eddie instead.) 

Soon you were both laughing and having a generally good time like you used to. You felt light and happy. All thoughts of Alfur were out of your head. At some point you'd turned the tv on and you were both watching (your favorite movie/tv show) and you were beginning to doze off. Soon your head had fallen comfortably on Eddie's shoulder.

[]Eddie's POV[]

 When he felt her head land on his shoulder he stiffened. Not because he was uncomfortable but because he now didn't know what to do with his hands. Annie wasn't the cuddling type, not that they didn't have their sweet moments, but he couldn't remember her ever laying on him like this.

Y/N shifted in her sleep and turned to curl against him snuggling into the crook of his arm. She looked like a kitten.  He sat perfectly still watching her the tv forgotten. She felt so warm and so right against him. He reached over with his free hand to stroke her soft cheek with his rough calloused fingers. He froze when she stirred,but she didn't wake.

Eddie watched Venom materialize and hover over her. His menacing teeth and large eyes caught the faint moonlight shining through the window. He looked, to anyone else , terrifying hovering silently over her sleeping form. But he only leaned in close to her to study her face. Her brow was furrowed and she shifted every few seconds. Eddie wondered absentmindedly what she was dreaming about.

**"She's hiding something from us."**

Eddie sighed and dropped his hand from her cheek. He  watched her dream. He knew Venom was right. He'd seen how quickly she'd stuffed the black envelope in her bag. And there was the glaring fact that she was _never_   late. 

"I know." Eddie said sadly leaning down to press a soft kiss to your forehead.

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: N/A
> 
> Word count: 1.6K

 

_"Fraternizing with the enemy now? Getting cozy and warm with them?" Alfur leans over you on the couch,his arms on either side of your head caging you in. You want to scream but it's as if your voice is being stumped on. He tuts and shakes his head. A hand moves to rest over your mouth pressure telling to be silent. As if you had a choice. "We'll have none of that now darlin',would you? And,excuse my vulgar speech,but you wouldn't want your boyfriend's head split open all over your pretty pictures would you? You attempt to speak again, but yet again nothing comes out. Your throat feels tighter every time you attempt to open it. Like someone is squeezing tighter and tighter. You swallow hard and shake your head instead._

_"Good girl. We understand each other then." Alfur says_ _stroking your cheek. "You know I only want what's best for you._

You sit upright so fast your face nearly collides with Venom's menacing maw. You startle and scoot back just a little. Eddie is nowhere in sight. The alien sits on the couch beside you in his place leaning over you in almost the same as exact position as Alfur,though somehow the alien is less menacing but still a little terrifying. He's so large the couch feels uneven. When you glance down for a split second you see that your end is a few inches off of the floor. You'd find it comical if you hadn't just had the dream you had and a giant, toothy alien wasn't staring at you with his wide milky eyes. 

"U-uh, is everything okay?" You hear yourself ask. Your voice small, but definitely there. Not choked out by some invisible force like in your dream. You absentmindedly reach up to rub your throat. 

 **"You were making odd noises in your sleep."** Venom answers. You shiver faintly when you hear his voice for only the fourth time. It's deep and bestial and you can feel it in your chest. It's not obnoxiously loud. And despite the fact that it is a little intimidating, you realize you more than kind of like it. You press your fingers against your cheeks as if that's going to stop them from flushing with heat.

"Odd how?" You ask. Now that your heart rate has calmed, you're finding it easy to speak to him. Almost as if he's Eddie. Which you suppose he is. Technically....biologically? You shake your head and watch him blink. You bite your lip to push the sudden giggle that almost bubbles out of you. When he blinks, the only thing visible on his face is his large, ever grinning maw. 

 **"You were calling out Eddie's name. And you were whimpering. Like a puppy."** You laugh a little. He sounds genuinely concerned and it startles you. As wickedly terrifying he looks at first glance, he seems like a giant softie. Much like his host.

V is still staring at you, raising his now existent eyebrows quizzically. You sit up completely wrapping the blanket (Eddie must have draped it around you after you dozed off) around you against the chill that's settled itself in your skin after that nightmare. You hold the blanket tight against you with one hand and lean   forward to rummage through your bag. It sits half open on the coffee table making it easier for you to grab your phone. You squint at the bright light and see that it's well past midnight. You wonder why they stayed as you slip your phone back into the bag right next to the black envelope with Alfur's crest on it. Your hand recoils out of the bag and you hastily slide it under the coffee table,onto the shelf that houses movies and misc. remotes you probably didn't need.

"It's okay. Just a nightmare." Venom looks suspicious,and you remember how he'd seemed to know you were hiding something the first  night you met. You quickly switch the conversation before he can start asking questions. "You know what those are right?" _Duh,of course he knows what those are._ You hiss at yourself feeling ridiculous for even asking. You don't expect him to answer.

 **"We know of nightmares. Eddie... Eddie's dreams are full of them."** He sounds so solemn. So concerned. You feel a pang in your chest. You smile and place your hand over one of his gigantic ones. 

"You care about him don't you?" You ask. You can see it,somehow in his white eyes. Can hear it in his voice. You can tell that he would do anything for Eddie. You'd always been worried and concerned for him when you grew distant. He was a strong man, yes. But he had his down moments.  And when he did you knew his mind went to a dark place. Often it was self blame for the smallest to largest things. He still blamed himself for his mother's death. Regardless of the fact that he couldn't control that even if he tried. 

Knowing that he had someone watching over him. Even if it was an odd Alien who looked like he could snap you like a twig. You felt an overwhelming thankfulness for him.

[]Venom's POV[]

Venom's already wideset eyes widened even more when he felt your skin on his hand. You felt so warm and soft. He searched your eyes looking for any sign of contempt or the sarcasm Eddie often addressed people with. But he saw only the sincere smile. He leaned forward, closer to her face. It was such a beautiful face. Eddie said he knew she was insecure about some things about herself, but for the life of them they couldn't figure out what. She was so beautiful.

Not like the women he'd seen in magazines at Ms. Chen's store. Or the arm candy bad guys always had with them when he and Eddie were working a job. Those woman looked...plastic. Stretched too thin and trying too hard. But y/n...

He reached forward to touch her cheek. She initially flinched but she didn't look scared. Just a little startled. Venom considered retracting his hand but then she leaned forward just a little. It was very faint ,the movement. But she leaned forward an inch and looked up at him. An inch was enough. She looked afraid , but he didn't think it was fear for him. He reached out and stroked a finger down the side of her cheek. She shivered and he grinned. 

She laughed and Venom felt something shift. It was a feeling like what he felt with Eddie. He'd only felt it with Eddie. It was a pleasant almost warm feeling. An overwhelming since of trust. And a desire to protect this human at all costs.

[]Your POV[]

 You touched the spot where Venom had stroked your cheek absentmindedly. He was still sitting there. Watching you. Just like he had when you'd awoken but now it seemed like he was looking at you through new eyes. It made you feel more than a little flustered to say the least. It was nearly identical to the way you'd caught Eddie looking at you at work. But you always brushed it off. Always looked away. Now you couldn't really, even if you looked down to fiddle with the blanket between your fingers. Venom took up your entire view. It was impossible not to see him.

"So..where's Eddie?" You ask glancing up from twisting the blanket around your finger. Venom blinks. He doesn't do it that often does he? Not exactly healthy. It's really not good for a person's eyes. But maybe it's different for hi-

 **"Do you not wish to speak to me?"** He asks, snapping you out of your thoughts. Your cheeks flushed instantly. He sounds a little hurt and you feel bad. "N-no, I mean yes I want to speak to you. I just meant..um where does he go when you're here?" 

Venom seems amused with how flustered you are, and he outright says so. He leans forward until you feel his breath on your skin. It sends chills running through you. **"You're an adorable little snack when you're nervous~"** He purrs. You nearly choke on air. He leans back and chuckles. You shake your head and glare at him. So much like his host. Always teasing. 

 **"He's still here with us. He fell asleep not long after you."** He answers. You watched in awe as a section of Venom's face shifts and reveals Eddie. He's encased in the goo that makes up Venom. Tendrils here and there caress his cheek as he rests. Venom shifts again and it's the two of you alone again. 

 **"We wanted more tater tots. And we were going to hunt for some when you begin to make puppy noises."** Crap. You were hoping he'd forgotten about that. 

 **"You said someone else's name..Alfur. Is he not the one you and Eddie were writing about?"** He asks quizzically. **"Why were you dreaming of him?"** He's not going to let you slip out of the question this time. You can tell. 

You swallow hard and sigh. How on earth are you supposed to tell him? You know from the list of questions you asked Eddie that they share thoughts. It's primarily how they communicate. There's no way he can keep this completely from Eddie. You hiding something from Eddie is one thing. Venom hiding it from his host is another. And you know that you're being watched. Whoever delivered the envelope had access to your apartment. They'd been in your home. Lord knows what they did while they were here. They could have planted mics. You can't risk Eddie's safety. Or Venom's. Not here. Not now. Not ever.

"Stress about the article." You say sighing for affect. "You know. If you think about something long enough it has a way of creeping its way into your dreams."

Venom looks skeptical at first but then he nods a low purr in his throat rising up. He's grinning at you again.

**"We know. We dream about you often."**   
  



	6. Chapter 6

[]Eddie/Venom POV[]  
"I can't believe you told her we dream about her." Eddie groans his forehead thumping lightly against the tabletop. He was never going to fall asleep around her again. Had he known Venom was going to..be Venom he wouldn't have stayed over. But he'd been so tired and her head fallen onto his shoulder. And her gentle breathing had lulled him to sleep and-  
"I said we dream about her a lot . There's a difference." Venom explained in a matter of fact tone. Eddie rolled his eyes and leaned back in Y/N's kitchen chair. The smell of her body wash wafted into the living area ,carried by the steam that escaped from underneath her bathroom door.  
"Oh,of course. Thank you so much for the clarification." Eddie rolled his eyes his head shaking. He crossed his arms on top of the table, stifling a yawn that was followed by a heavy sigh. He rests his chin on his arms  
still very much tired,even though it was nearly 9am. He closed his eyes the gentle scent of her body soap easing him back to sle-  
"Are we going to pretend we didn't see the envelope? Because we definitely saw the envelope." God damnit. Not a moment of peace with this para- "You wouldn't dare."  
"GAH. For fuck's sake Ven. I know! Okay. I know. She's in deep shit and she's hiding it from us. What am I supposed to do?" Eddie mentally hissed at the alien. He lay face down on the table, sighing again. He was worried about her. They'd seen the look of brief horror on her face when she'd picked up the envelope just before she quickly shoved it into her bag. And she was never late to work. He was worried out of his mind about her. He'd gone through some shit recently sure,but he had Venom. No matter how annoying the symbiote was. Their bond was unlike anything he'd felt before.  
But..Y/N. She was virtually alone. She'd moved from San Francisco just a little before Eddie did after his debacle in New York. She had no roots here. Nothing keeping her here as far as he could tell. He knew JJ had wanted her to come work for him in New York, but she'd turned it down almost instantly.  
"There's nothing left for me there." Was her simple answer to Eddie's incredulous look when she'd told him. His heart had fluttered then. He could have sworn her eyes lingered on him as if to say..  
"Say what?" Venom inquired. Eddie closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Don't worry about it." He muttered.  
"Worry about what?" His eyes opened and he looked up to see Y/N standing in front of the table,a towel wrapped around her head. A loose button up shirt clung gently to her. And tight,but not too tight jeans sent a flash of inappropriate bad thoughts through his mind.  
"Uh,nothing. Just thinking out loud." He semi-lied. He glanced down at her boots and general look of spiffyness and raised an eyebrow.  
"Got a hot date?" He teased. Half hoping that wasn't the case.  
She laughed and walked into the kitchen,passing by him at the table. She removed the towel as she went and shook her head gently. He hummed softly under his breath as she passed,her scent making him dizzy. He shook his head. What the hell was up with him this morning?  
He watched her walk up to the fridge and lean up on her toes to grab something of the top of the fridge. Her shirt rode up just a little revealing the tiniest sliver of skin. He wanted to stroke his fingers over it and feel her shiver as he-  
"Fuck." She cursed softly. She rested back on the soles of her feet and turned to look at him with an embarrassed grin. He shifted his eyes just in time so it didn't look liked he'd just been staring.  
"Uh,I was trying to grab my cookie jar and um..I only managed to push it farther back. Do you think you could use your extra height and grab it for me?" Laughing he stood from the table. He sighed melodramatically and reached up and felt around for the jar. When his hands found purchase he brought it down for her. She reached for it and he held it just out of her reach, laughing.  
"What do you need it for? Cookies? At this hour? For shame L/N"  
She huffed and reached for it, her hand falling onto his chest to steady herself as she stretched for it. "It's got my keys in it you tall jerk." She hissed trying to stifle her own laughter. Eddie frowned and laughed again.  
"What? A person can be too safe in Cali. Now hand them over dickwad." She whined. He laughed again and shook his head.  
"Language~" He teased. He held the jar just a little higher,which made her stretch farther pushing herself closer to him. His breath hitched just a little and his eyes involuntarily slid to the slope of her neck. And down to the top of her blouse. She'd left the top two buttons unclasped,and a tight tank top hung a little low underneath teasing just a hint of the tops of her breasts. They looked-  
"So soft~"  
She froze mid reach. Her fingers just scraping the bottom of the porcelain jar. Her cheeks heated and she blinked.  
"Uh...what?" She asked looking up at Eddie. She shuddered when she looked into his normally sky blue eyes. They were dark and it almost looked as if smoke hid just behind them. But as instantly as she saw it,it was gone in the blink of an eye. Eddie instead now looked mortified.  
Crud.  
Crud. Crud. Crud. We said that out loud. We fucking said that out loud.  
"Are you okay?" She asked softly,resting back on the soles of her feet but still resting a gentle hand on his chest. Always so caring. He only nodded and lowered the cookie jar handing it to her. She smiled and took it. She opened the jar and pulled her keys out. He instantly missed feeling her pressed against him.  
She smiled at him as if what transpired didn't even exist.  
"Come on Brock. We're going to get stuffed on Waffles."  
[]Your POV[]  
"So soft."  
"So soft."  
"So soft."  
The entire drive to the pancake house,you replayed his words in your head. Each time your skin warmed even more. It had been Eddie speaking,yes. But you'd heard Venom as well. Loud in clear. Their breath fanning over your skin and nearly making you whimper. And you couldn't stop remembering how he felt against you.  
"We dream about you. Often."  
And that. That had made it hard for you to fall asleep last night. Long after Venom had retreated back into Eddie,leaving Eddie's sleeping form next to you unaware of what had just happened as far as you knew. Eddie had always driven you crazy since you were little kids,in an almost sibling like way. And when you got older and realized you had feelings for him,he drove you crazy in other ways. Even more so now that you were both different,and mature. But with the added bonus of Venom,you were quite sure you were going to go insane around him.  
At the restaurant you specifically asked for a booth in the back away from the view of other people. Venom seemed grateful for that as he happily,and openly chowed down on the extra Waffles you ordered. You and Eddie talked and laughed like old times. And it seemed as if the events of earlier that morning,and last night hadn't happened.  
You even nearly forgot about Alfur. And the envelope burning a hole in your satchel. That is until you excused yourself to go to the bathroom.  
You were standing at the sink,humming softly as you washed your hands when your phone trilled. You dried your hands and pulled it out of your pocket. You clicked the screen on and a new text massage bubble shined up at you from the screen.  
|• Unknown Number @10:56 am  
▶Open the envelope.  
Alfur.  
You swallowed hard finger hovering over the text. How did he have your number? And how did he know you hadn't opened it? You should have tossed it the moment you saw it. Burned it or something. You didn't even know what it was but it didn't feel like any form of good news.  
Your phone trilled again.  
|• Unknown Number @10:58 am  
▶open it. Now.  
Your breath shuddered and you reached into your bag. Your fingers caught the corner of the envelope and fished it out. Alfur's Celtic symbol shined in gold on the front. You flipped it and slipped your finger underneath the lip of the envelope. Cream colored stationary peaked out at you and you pulled it out,fearing the worse.  
Dearest  
You are cordially invited to join me for a night of fine drinking and dining tomorrow night at 6pm. At the docks. Wear the clothes delivered to your door.  
Fondly, Alfur~  
You blink. You reread it again. That's it? He wants to go on a date. You hear laughter and realize it's coming from you. You laugh at the ridiculous extravagance of the question. You giggle at yourself for expecting something more.  
But then you stop. A date. With that man? And considering you received the envelope yesterday,he expects to see you tonight. You'd wanted to spend your day with Eddie. And now the thought of having to dine with that man would be hanging over your head,souring the day. You frowned. He was slowly inching his way into your life and you didn't like it. You didn't want him controlling you and this eerily felt like the beginnings of him doing just that. You wanted nothing more than to ignore him. To chuck the letter and pretend you'd never seen it.  
Your phone trilled one more time.  
|• Unknown Number @11:00 am  
▶Either you come. Or he dies.  
Eddie.  
A sad cry leaves you. You were doing this for Eddie. And now Venom as well. To protect them. You couldn't risk their lives because you didn't want to go on one simple date.  
You would go.  
You had to.  
But that didn't mean you wouldn't find away to put in end to Alfur's reign over you before it had truly begun.


End file.
